The local and regional events in the years of the Nazi dictatorship are integrated in the development in the German empire by using texts, documents, drawings, pictures, photos, video clips and animations. The events of the period 1933-1945 are presented in chronological order. Special attention is devoted to the year 1933 with its Nazi seizure of power and, in particular, to the events in November 1938 since it was in our area where the infamous November pogroms (“Crystal Night”) did start nationwide. As early as the 7th November, i.e. on the very day of the assassination attempt at Ernst vom Rath in the German Embacy in Paris there were most terrible anti-Jewish attacks, very shortly after Kassel, in Bebra, Rotenburg and Baumbach in the course of which synagogues were desecrated and devastated, Jewish shops and private homes raided and destroyed. This chapter was awarded the prestigious Victor-Klemperer-Prize in 2001.

When World War I broke out in 1914 the Jews rushed to the frontier. Carrying arms they wanted to prove their patriotism. By their unconditional commitment they hoped to be able to refute the unfounded reservations they were confronted with and demonstrate the justification of their demands on a fully equal status. The documentation of the soldiers from the Jewish congregations in our region is a convincing evidence of the groundlessness of the libelling of the Jews as cowards and war profiteers. There also are examples of the acknowledgement of the Jewish frontline soldiers in the municipalities with Jewish citizens.

In Rotenburg on the Fulda the year 1848 which is generally known as the year of revolutionary events in the fight for liberty was anything but the much conjured-up signal of that kind. Here, there was no protest against the traditional authorities but rather against the local Jewish minority which the public anger was directed at. The anti-Jewish excesses which lasted for more than three months could only be stopped by heavy military invention. The violent 1848 events in Rotenburg are presented by descriptive texts, documents, diagrams, illustrations, drawings, pictures, photos, video clips and animations. The original CD-ROM version on which the Html-version is based was awarded 2nd prize in the prestigious nationwide history competition of the German Federal President organized by the Koerber-Stiftung (Koerber Foundation).

In the late 18th and the early 19th century there were some occasional “free” conversions, e.g. of Isaac Kappel who was living in the Rotenburg Brotgasse, and of Ruben Salomon from Stadtlengsfeld in Thuringia. Through baptism in Rotenburg Jakobikirche (Church of St. Jakob) the latter became Christian Gottlieb whose (blind) grandson August Gottlieb, two generations later, set up the Jutespinnerei (Burlap Spinning Mill) in Bad Hersfeld.

In the middle of the 14th century, when in many places the Jews were accused of having poisoned the wells and were made responsible for the outbreak of the pestilence this meant forceful death and expulsion also for the Jews who were then living in the Hersfeld and Rotenburg region. This is proved by written evidence. The persecution and killing of Rotenburg Jews during the period of pestilence in the midst of the 14th century is documented in a supplement to the Nurnberg Martyrs book. Sara of Rotenburg and her son who, in 1357, were admitted to live in Erfurt, apparently belonged to the survivors. Also part of this chapter is the accusation of ritual murder and the desecration of consecrated wafers for the Christian holy communion which the Jews were also blamed for.

Jewish Week in Rotenburg on the Fulda This internet presence documents, quotes and assesses seven days of a Jewish Week in November 1998 in Rotenburg on the Fulda as part of the official programme of the town’s 50th anniversary. On the following pages the visitor will find information, photos of the events and comments by the visitors.